Seals Hunt Together (Book 3)

Chapter 13

 THE END

 The next morning I was out of bed before the sun peaked its head from the nightly shroud it wore. I was nervous, there was no doubt about it, but more than anything else, I was ready to fight for Luke.

 My parents, along with the Luke's, slipped in the house late last night. After grabbing a large cup of coffee from Tiny's place, I quickly made my way to the hospital. On the way to Luke's room, my mind and body were still and numb. A part of me was yelling for me to turn around and run, but the part of me that longed for the man I once knew was stronger.

 Just as I reached his room, I heard loud, angry voices. Stopping in the hallway, I waited and listened. It was Luke and he sounded very upset. I jumped when I heard the sound of metal hitting the wall. "Listen here sawbones, I don't need that stinking pill. I'm fine. Everything about me is fine."

 "..."

 "Doc, if you say one more thing, it'll be you that will be needing that pain pill." The door flew open and I watched as a flustered doctor all but ran from the room. Trying to keep from laughing, I enter the room and close the door behind me. Looking Luke in the eyes, I slowly shake my head.

 "Luke, Luke, Luke. What in the world are we going to do with you?" He flashed one of his brilliant smiles at me and I felt my heart speed up. I swear that man of mind could charm a nun out of her habit.

 "Well," he started, his smile still in place, "you married me didn't you?" My heart froze as I stared back at him. I was dumbfounded. Before I could think of what to say, Luke slowly slide out of his bed and stood before me.

 While I was trying to figure out if he got his memory back or just gave in to what the guys kept telling him about us, I felt his arms wrap around me. He once told me that while my face never gave away what I was thinking or feeling, my eyes always did. One just had to look deep enough to really see.

 Letting out a sigh, I slowly return the hug. And I would have to admit that it felt so good to have his arms around me again. When he finally pulled away, I wasn't ready to let go. Luke sat on the edge of his bed and I watch him. "Last night before my dad left, he gave me a photo album. At first, I didn't want to look at them.

 "But something kept nagging at me, and I soon found myself flipping through the pages. At first, the pictures brought nothing to my mind except for a blank. After an hour of looking through the pictures, I was ready to just give up. But as I went to close the album, it slipped from my hands. When I picked it up, a picture of the two of us fell out of it. The second my eyes landed on it, everything hit me like a ton of bricks. I remember everything Ella."

 I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. This was the moment that every one of us had prayed and hoped for, but now that it was here, I had now idea on what to do or say. Suddenly, my thoughts jumped to the child that he and I created and that I lost. He needed to know, though I knew that this wasn't the right time nor the right place to tell him. But I had already made up my mind to tell him everything.

 Walking to the window, I stuff my hand into my pocket. When I spoke, my words were almost too soft to hear. "I came here this morning to tell you everything that happened to us Luke. And even though each and every one of us prayed that you would retain your memories, each day that passed without them returning had our hopes dying a little more. So I decided to tell you everything in hopes that it would jog a memory loss or something." I sigh softly, my eyes glued to the rising sun before me.

 "When we took Caine out, only you and the guys were wearing vests. My contact only had four and it would have taken time for him to get his hands one another. Time that we didn't have. When I went to return them, I visited another friend of mine; he patched me up." Luke was silent as he listened to me. The news of our lost child was on the tip of my tongue and I hated that I had to tell him. But I refused to withhold that information from him. He had a right to know.

 "Almost a month after the four of you left for the mission, I received the call from your father telling me that you had been killed while the others were badly injured." I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I awoke in a hospital bed. The doctors told me that the stress from worrying about you and the news that I had received about your death as to much for my body to bear. Especially since I was expecting a child.

 "I was told that I would be fine in a few days, but as for the child...There was nothing they could do. One of the nurses told me just before I was discharged that the baby had been a boy." By the time I stopped speaking, I was crying. I heard Luke get off the bed and rush towards me. His arms quickly wrapped around me and he held me tight. "You're alright Ella. I'm sorry you lost the baby, but we're ok. I love you and nothing could ever change that."

Ten Years Later

 I stood in front of the kitchen sink looking out the window. Luke was playing with our four children in the back yard. I smiled when the youngest, Alex, stole the football from her brother and ran towards the swings. She threw her hands up and started dancing around. She had just scored a touchdown for her "team".

 My eyes drifted to the clock and I saw that the guys would be over for dinner soon. Every weekend we all got together and each week it was at a different place. It was a hassle at times, but it kept us and our families close. And that's the way we preferred it. A call from Luke brought my eyes back to the window and I smiled when I saw my friends walking up the drive way.

 Jason, John and Sam were carrying a small dish while their wives were trying to keep their kids in line. It didn't take long for the food to get cooked and sat out. At the end of the day, I found myself leaning against Luke watching our children play as the sun started to sink. "Are you happy Ella?" Luke asked me softly.

 Turning my head to look into his eyes, I smile. "I am Luke. I am very happy."

 THE END...